Chapter Twenty-Five: The Appearance of the Golden Flame Sect

Jiang Yan walked over to the Howling Heaven Hound, reached out and fed it a spirit beast pill, then did the same for the Howling Soul Hound. Although both spirit beasts had already eaten a pill last night, the fierce battle they’d fought today had been enough for them to fully digest the previous one.

Seeing Jiang Yan feed the pills to her rivals, the little Moon Mink’s beady eyes flashed with a hint of irritation and it let out a low whimper, though there was also a trace of envy in its gaze.

Jiang Yan then took out some Blood Coagulation Powder and sprinkled it over the two spirit beasts. Their wounds vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, and by the time Jiang Yan had finished, both the Howling Heaven Hound and the Howling Soul Hound were able to stand on their own.

“Senior Brother Sect Leader, these two?” Tang Wan’s puzzled voice came from behind. She had finally arrived at the Huashan mountain gate and, upon seeing the three spirit beasts gathered there, she was confused. She recognized the Howling Heaven Hound, but the Howling Soul Hound and the Moon Mink were strangers to her.

“This one is Little Black, Senior Sister,” Yun Ying lifted her chin and replied with a mischievous smile. But when her gaze rested on the Moon Mink, a hint of slyness flashed across her face. “As for that one, Yun Ying doesn’t know either.”

Tang Wan affectionately ruffled Yun Ying’s hair and asked with a smile, “Did anything fun happen when you went down the mountain with Senior Brother?”

At the mention of their time below, Yun Ying’s mouth turned down and she answered, somewhat disgruntled, “No, Senior Sister. I was even bullied.”

Tang Wan’s beautiful brows furrowed. How could her junior sister be bullied while with the Sect Leader? Was there really anyone in Qingyang Town bold enough to dare such a thing? Her doubts deepened as she looked at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, “It was just an accident, Wan. Junior Sister was only pushed, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Now our Huashan has gained two new disciples.”

A glimmer of delight flickered in Tang Wan’s bright eyes as she looked around. “Two more disciples? Where are they, Senior Brother?”

Jiang Yan shifted the topic without missing a beat, sensing her interest. “They didn’t quite meet my standards, so I’ve arranged for them to cultivate in Qingyang Town for a while to temper their restlessness. Once their unruly tempers have settled, I’ll have them come up the mountain for formal apprenticeship.”

“As for recruiting new disciples, I’ve decided to entrust that to you and Junior Brother Mu. What do you think, Wan?” Jiang Yan had originally planned for Mu Yun and Nanmen Luo to handle the task, one playing the strict role, the other the kindly one, with one responsible for recruitment and the other for training. But since Tang Wan had already inquired, he decided to involve her first.

A gentle smile blossomed on Tang Wan’s lovely face, warm and radiant. Pleased with Jiang Yan’s reassurance, she replied happily, “Of course, I’ll follow your arrangements, Senior Brother.”

A soft, plaintive roar suddenly sounded from behind. Startled, Jiang Yan turned to see the bloodied Moon Mink struggling upright, growling at him. Fortunately, its spiritual power had been depleted and it could no longer unleash its unique abilities. Its roar was nothing more than hollow bluster.

Not wanting to risk leaving matters unresolved, Jiang Yan summoned his spiritual power, lifted the Moon Mink from a distance, and prepared to take it to the spirit beast enclosure at the rear of Huashan.

“Senior Brother Sect Leader, this spirit beast…?” Tang Wan glanced at Jiang Yan, then at the creature in his hands, hesitating.

“The black one is the Howling Soul Hound, a counterpart to the Howling Heaven Hound and a former spirit beast of our great rival, the Tianshan Sect. But the Tianshan party has been wiped out, and I have subdued this beast. The one in my hand is a second-grade spirit beast, the Moon Mink. At this level, spirit beasts begin to develop souls. I intend to confine it in the spirit beast enclosure and suppress it with the Beast Gathering Mirror, so that it might one day serve Huashan. Wan, with the mountain gate destroyed, take Junior Sister and head up the mountain at once.”

With that, Jiang Yan leapt onto the back of the Golden-Eyed Eagle and soared toward the rear mountain.

“The Tianshan party, wiped out? A second-grade spirit beast, the Moon Mink?” Tang Wan gazed after Jiang Yan in shock, her face etched with astonishment. She remained dazed long after he had vanished from sight.

Yun Ying tugged at her hand. “Let’s go, Senior Sister. Eldest Brother has already left.”

Tang Wan smiled and, taking Yun Ying’s small hand, walked forward. The Howling Heaven Hound bounded ahead, and not to be outdone, the Howling Soul Hound dashed after it in a blur of black, chasing the white hound in a playful race.

“They’ve recovered so quickly!” Tang Wan exclaimed in delight as she watched the two lively little creatures. Her face shone with even greater joy. Whatever wondrous powder the Sect Leader had used, it had worked miracles.

“Little White! Little Black!” Yun Ying’s delighted laughter and Tang Wan’s gentle calls echoed along the mountain path.

…

In Qingyang Town, under Huashan’s jurisdiction, an old man with a white beard and a young man accompanied by a white-headed goose were questioning a local hunter. Had Jiang Yan been present, he would have recognized the young man as Bai Lun, who had once visited Huashan.

“Have you seen a small beast, golden all over, looking like a little dog?” the old man asked the hunter impatiently.

Intimidated by the old man’s unusual aura, the hunter stammered, “Yes, yes, I saw it in the woods east of town. I saw it heading further east.”

Without another word, the old man vaulted into the air, heading east. The hunter and Bai Lun were left standing there. As the old man disappeared, Bai Lun called anxiously, “Granduncle!” and quickly mounted the white-headed goose, soaring after him.

Once he’d caught up, Bai Lun asked, puzzled, “Granduncle, why are you in such a hurry? Isn’t it just a spirit beast? Doesn’t our sect already have plenty?”

The old man shot him an annoyed glare as they flew. “What do you know? The best spirit beasts in the sect are only upper first-grade. But Tianshan and Xishan Sects both have several of those already. I wouldn’t waste my time on such mediocre creatures.”

Bai Lun looked confused. “But Granduncle, in Linqing Prefecture, the highest we have are upper first-grade spirit beasts. It’s impossible for there to be a second-grade… Granduncle, do you mean that beast is a second-grade spirit beast?”

The old man nodded gravely. “Yesterday the sect reported that our eldest brother was injured by a spirit beast, so the Sect Leader asked me, as a Foundation Establishment expert, to intervene. If it were only an upper first-grade spirit beast, I wouldn’t care in the slightest.”

“Second-grade?” Bai Lun’s expression turned serious. A second-grade spirit beast capable of injuring a Foundation Establishment expert—after all, the ‘eldest brother’ his granduncle mentioned was a formidable mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.